By Steve Svetovich
Congratulations to the newest members of the Northeastern Chapter of the PA Sports Hall of Fame inducted last month at Fiorelli’s, Peckville…The new Hall of Fame members include Mike Zanghi, Lauren Carra, Gabrielle Giordano, Joseph Runco, Joe Baciotti, Mike Cerra, George Howanitz, Dr. Michael Ciccotti and Al Callejas, Jr….Larry Gabriel, Jr. received the media award…Paul “Red” Brower received the service award…Dunmore’s Bob Walsh is president of the Northeastern Chapter of the PA Sports Hall of Fame…Mid Valley product Jerry Valonis is vice president…Judy Igoe Carr is secretary…Dunmore’s Tom “Doc” Dougherty is treasurer…Other members of the executive committee include Dunmore’s Rich Revta, Jerry Dempsey, John Davies, Terry Greene and Chris Thomas…Former WBRE Eyewitness News Sports Director Phil Schoener was toastmaster for the induction ceremony…Carra, Giordano and Callejas, Jr. all have Dunmore ties, with Carra as a basketball standout at Dunmore, Giordano as a basketball and softball star at Holy Cross and Callejas, Jr. as a basketball stalwart at Bishop O’Hara…Scranton Prep and Duke University basketball legend Steve Vacendak honored in Community Tribute to him last month at La Buona Vita, Dunmore…Former Seton Hall and NBA basketball coach and analyst P.J. Carlesimo in town from his west coast home for Vacendak tribute…Vacendak and Carlesimo are only former Scranton Prep basketball players to have numbers retired…Northeastern Chapter of PA Hall of Fame president Bob Walsh, former Bishop O’Hara and West Scranton basketball coach Jack Lyons, former Dunmore basketball coach Canio Cianci, former Bishop O’Hara and University of Scranton basketball standout Todd Bailey, Dunmore, among those who attended Vacendak tribute…Nick DeSando, father of Dunmore senior football standout Dom DeSando, spearheaded efforts of local businesses and parents of players to hold recent bonfire/pep rally at St. Anthony’s Park, Dunmore, night before recent football game…Dunmore senior back/receiver/punt and kick returner Danny Pigga has 16 touchdowns at press time while averaging over 13 yards per carry on ground…Dunmore senior Dom DeSando has eight touchdowns at press time, plays four varsity sports and is class president…Local musician Doug Smith held nice event last month at La Buona Vita, Dunmore, in celebration of life of late local musician and artist Art Kreinberg…Dunmore’s Fran Burne, Jimmy Buckley, Bobby Ventre, Marko Marcinko, Pat Marcinko among local musicians in attendance…Former Scranton Mayor Jimmy Connors also attended the event…Do you remember Dunmore’s Daiqwon Buckley rushing for 381 yards and five touchdowns in Dunmore’s 41-13 win over Mid Valley 10 years ago?…Congratulations to Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy in his fifth World Series and becoming first skipper to win three league championship series with three different teams…Baseball world hoping Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker, 74, comes back for one more season in legendary career…Torey Lovullo led Arizona Diamonbacks into World Series despite only 84 regular season wins as wild card playoff entry…Danny Pigga had three touchdowns, including one on 76-yard run, in Dunmore’s 47-21 win over Honesdale…Dunmore senior quarterback Tommy Bowen threw two touchdowns passes, one for 11 yards to Pigga and another for 63 yards to senior Dom DeSando…Conor Toole scored three goals in opening 21 minutes to lead Dunmore to 7-2 soccer win over West Scranton…Tommy Clark and Krisley Jean added two goals each…Condolences to family of Tim Earley, Sr., former Dunmore football and basketball player and Princeton University football player who died last month at 67…Allie Dempsey had 26 assists, 11 digs and eight points, Lauren Henry had 22 points and Tristan Canavan had 19 kills and three blocks to lead Dunmore over Abington Heights in girls volleyball match…Sienna Delfina had 20 digs for Dunmore…Leena Conte had 16 digs…Amanda Dempsey and Abbey Earley each had six kills for Dunmore…Dorothy Hoffner died in her sleep in Chicago at 104 just days after becoming oldest person to ever jump from a plane with skydive..,West Scranton Teener League baseball player Brennan Snyder, 13, grandson of recently retired Scranton School District Paraeducator Judy Lowry Vitris, is an up and coming student-athlete…Brennan excelled in fall baseball recently at Battaglia Field, West Scranton, and also is an outstanding wrestler and baseball player at Delaware Valley Middle School where he is an honor student with a 4.01 academic average in the gifted program…Brennan also spearheaded a clothing drive, volunteers at Saint Anne’s Novena and has big heart for volunteering and helping the less fortunate…Dunmore’s Guy Valvano, former Sunday Scrantonian sports editor, celebrated 95th birthday last month…Former Scranton Tribune and Sunday Scrantonian photographer Bobby Ventre, currently residing in Ohio, in Dunmore last month to attend celebration of life for his late musician friend Art Kreinberg..,Ventre also performed at Crotti’s on Ash…Local singer/musician/song writer Alyssa Lazar, who appeared this year on “The Voice,” will be performing on cruise ship for next several months…Tommy Clark had hat trick giving him seven games this season with at least three goals in Dunmore’s 4-2 soccer win over Western Wayne…Congratulations to University of Scranton field hockey coach Colleen Moyer who notched 200th career win…Congratulations to University of Scranton soccer coach Colleen Pivirotto for 200th career win…Natalya Musio and Liza Froncek each scored unassisted goals in Holy Cross girls soccer win over Elk Lake, 2-0…Jake Costanzo scored three touchdowns on runs of one and 19 yards and 72-yard kickoff return in Dunmore freshman/junior high football win over Western Wayne, 60-32…Colin Coulthard scored on 3-yard run…Luke Franek scored two touchdowns on a 30-yard touchdown reception from Brady McCormick and 30-yard interception return…Jake Donahue scored on 2-yard run…Nick Germano scored on 13-yard fumble recovery return…Do you remember Sam Gockley?…Whatever became of Jason Grimsley?…